Neutering with only one testicle??
 

So, my poor little Bowzer only has one. Don't get me wrong, the 2nd one is in there...but where???? He's 9 months old and it hasn't dropped yet. I want to get him neutered as he's already started marking, but I wondered if any of you have had this problem.

The vet says she'll do the fixing, but it will be invasive as she's got to go "testicle hunting" to find the 2nd one.

Should I wait a little longer to see if it drops? I'm afraid that the longer I wait to fix him, the harder it will be to get him to stop marking. But I also wonder if it would be better to wait to see if it drops and then they don't have to go looking for it. I also don't want to wait too long to neuter since he's growing up & I don't want to tramatize him for life.

Any thoughts?

Hello Nadine,
I dont have a male Yorkie but I did some research for you, hope it helps.

I found the below info here.

Undescended Testicles (Cryptorchids)



Every once in a while a male puppy will have only one testicle in the scrotal sac instead of the normal two. Or none.



In the normal pup, the testicles develop in the abdominal cavity but within a few months (usually just days) they descend through the inguinal opening and make their way into the scrotal sac.



This is more common in toy breeds and is an inherited trait. For this reason alone, we encourage castration; to prevent this trait from being passed on. But there’s another reason: Dogs with an undescended testicle are much more likely to develop future testicular cancer.


The only problem with castrating these guys, though, is sometimes we can’t easily find or get to the undescended testicle... at least not without making an incision into the inguinal ring and going into the abdominal cavity ... a much more involved surgery than the typical castration.



Here’s the deal:



If you don’t do anything at all, you may luck out and the second testicle will eventually come out. This is a reasonable approach for pups up to 6 months of age, but after that, forget it. You risk both future testicular cancer and passing the problem along to future generations.



If you castrate the descended testicle, but leave the undescended one ... usually because your vet couldn’t find it without doing major abdominal surgery...it’s safe to assume that the undescended testicle will be sterile, but it may very well produce testosterone and all the behavioral problems that goes with it. And again, there’s a higher chance of future testicular cancer if an active testicle is left in the warm environment of the abdomen.



Sometimes the undescended testicle is not active ...apparently it just never developed much... and there’s no problem with leaving it alone. One way to tell is to wait until after puberty and see what happens. If your pet starts lifting it’s leg and marking every tree and so forth, despite having had it’s one exposed testicle castrated, then it’s a good bet there’s an active testicle in the abdomen and you should consider surgical removal despite your frustration in “having to pay for the same surgery twice”! I guess you have to expect imperfections in life...I know my wife does.



In any event, your vet will give you several choices, but in general, it’s best to get the job done, despite needing more extensive surgery, to prevent future problems.

Wow - that's a perfect article! Thanks for your help, Marie!

You are very welcome. That is what we are here to help and learn from each other. By the way Bowzer is adorable. :)

Thank you, so is Gucci! That is such a perfect name for a Yorkie!

Nadine, about 25 years ago, I had that a Cryptoid Irish Setter. At the time hubby had a "thing" about "castrating" so our vet removed the retained testicle and performed a vasectomy on the descended one. I think it was the ONLY vasectomy in this vet's entire career. Poor Josh came home very very sore and swollen because at the time, not much was available int he way of diagnostics, so Doc had to so some "search and find" to locate the retained testicle. With advances in technology, I am sure that this wouldn't be an issue.

GOOD LUCK!!!! It is my understanding that retained testicles increase the risk of testicular cancer, just how much, I don't know.

Hi Nadine. Mac only had one desended. He was a year old when he was neutered a month ago and was just fine. The doctor said the second was right where he thought. Mac was back to his usuall self the next day.

Hi:

Had the same problem with the only puppy from our first litter. I wanted to show him so bad. We had him examined by a couple of breeders and in to our vet a couple of times. One breeder told me she had a boy whose testicle finally descended when he was one year.

We did the surgery when he was about 8 months old and he did just fine. His marking behavior diminished almost immediately.

Good luck, Bowzer!!

CJ

Cryptorchid
 

Hi,my dexie is one he had surgery 2 days ago and is fine.he is 7 months old.the first incision is on his testicle sack and the other one was on the inside of his leg next to the first one.the anestetia made him drowsy and he was in a lot of pain but on the second day he was himself again.I keep in my bedroom to restrict his running and jumping and he also wears an E collar for the stitches.:p

My sister had her boy neutered before his dropped. He had no problem at all.